We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Natasha Spitzer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Natasha below.

Natasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I grew up in my grandmother’s small garment factory, playing hide and seek between rolls of fabric and falling asleep to the sewing machine’s buzz. While drawing and painting have always been a very important part of my life, I never realised it could turn into a career until I was in college studying Fashion Design (my first obvious choice).

I remember saying out loud ever since I was 12 I would become a fashion designer and have my own fashion brand. It was a bit of a surprise for myself when at 20 years old I found out about textile design and being able to combine all my passions at once.

Designing intricate textile patterns that told a story became my obsession, thus my career.

Natasha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I designed best-selling printed textiles for womenswear for over 12 years, co-founded Mercado Estampa, Argentina’s first sustainable print on demand platform, and founded my own educational platform on textile design and creative business helping over 4,000 students worldwide have a flourishing creative career.

If you asked me 10 years ago, what I wanted for my textile design career, I would have told you “to become the best designer in the world”.

While I am sceptical I became the best in the world, I do know I became one hell of a good one:

My expertise is characterized by an exceptional ability to seamlessly merge the realms of art and commerce in every project I undertake. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources, ranging from iconic artists like Georgia O’Keeffe and James Turrell to even mundane yet evocative snapshots of everyday life, I adeptly transform them into imaginative textile designs using a fusion of artisanal craftsmanship and cutting-edge digital techniques. These designs come alive on fabric, whether through printing, embroidery, or knitting, resonating with a wide spectrum of individuals, from everyday people on the streets to notable celebrities.

Since I managed to champion both my artistic skills as well as my ability to market myself and help others reach commercial success, I thrived.

What I found out in the way: this was very, very rare, at least in Argentina and Latin America.

In 2017, I decided to rent a classroom with a projector and share the insights and knowledge I had accumulated over years of industry experience. Not only was the course an instant hit, but I found along the way a new passion: teaching others how to translate their own creativity into textiles as well as tricks of the trade to have a successful creative career, in their own terms.

Since that discovery, I continued to teach and develop my own online school with over 4,000 happy students worldwide with an expanding curriculum on craft, creative, and freelancing skills.
Oh, and I also have a weekly inspiration newsletter catering over 40,000 global readers!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Oh, yes! I wish I have learnt sooner about pricing, contracts and project managing. I do not understand why art and creative universities still deny content on this matters.

I had to learn the hard way (yup, poorly managed proposals and stuff) but today I teach my students how to do it right.

So please, please, please if you are an artist, creative, designer and such, learn about the real value of your work: get to know your costs, your hourly rate, and different ways to leverage it! If you have no clue at all where to start, talk to your colleagues and friends about it :)

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. For me it is all about the transformation:

First is my students transformation, helping them achieve sustainable creative careers.

But as a textile designer/ artist, what captivates me the most is transformation as well: how to transform mundane objects and pictures into beautiful, storytelling prints.

It is no wonder my favourite animal is the swan: from being an “ugly duckling” to becoming a beautiful and elegant creature!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.natashaspitzer.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/natashaspitzer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashaspitzer/